Aleksandr Boricic, president of the Sports Events Council, explains the new regulations proposals to the 34th FIVB World Congress on Saturday

Cagliari, Italy, November 1, 2014 – The 34th FIVB World Congress heard and approved several proposals submitted on Saturday by the Sports Events Council of the institution including one to reduce the length of the free zone to 6.5 meters instead of 8 meters.

The measure pursues to get the spectators closer to the action following suggestions from a variety of sources, including the Television and Marketing Commissions.

The proposals were presented to the assembly by Mr Aleksandar Boricic, Executive Vice President of FIVB who presides over the Sports Events Council.

Mr. Boricic explained also that when a team registers 14 players in the O-2 bis form, including two liberos, all 14 players can be included in the score sheet as it was approved.

Other proposals who received the positive vote were the following:

-To eliminate from the referee guidelines everything concerning Judge Conferences during the match.

-Return to the former rule of declaring fault every net touch between the antennas, including that for beach volleyball.

-Any request of challenge to be made by the coach to the second referee via electronic tablets.

-To allow the change of Federation of Origin regulation for players living in the same country for eight or more years and the men are over 38 years old and the women over 35 years old, without administrative fees with the consent of both national federations and FIVB.

Cagliari, Italy, November 1, 2014 – The FIVB Congress approved a net contact rule and reducing time-outs (for selected events) on the final day of the FIVB World Congress in Cagliari, Italy on Saturday.

With Rules of the Game Commission President Sandy Steel on the podium, the Congress approved a change to Rule 11.3 to apply to both volleyball and beach volleyball so that contact with the net by a player between the antennae, during the action of playing the ball, is now a fault.

The previous rule allowed contact with the net by a player so far as it didn’t interfere with play.

Needing a majority, 111 of the 210 represented federations voted in favour to change the rule.

The Congress also approved reducing by one the number of technical and/or coaches timeouts for FIVB, World and official competitions in the senior category for specific events pursuant to sponsorship, marketing and broadcast agreements.

A full list of approved proposals by the Rules of the Game Commission are below:

Rule 1.1 Dimensions
For FIVB, World and Official Competitions, the free zone shall measure a minimum of 5 m from the side lines and 6.5 m from the end lines. The free playing space shall measure a minimum of 12.5 m in height from the playing surface.

Rule 2.2 Structure of the Net
...is made of 10 cm square black mesh.
For FIVB, World and Official Competitions, in conjunction with specific competition regulations, the mesh may be modified to facilitate advertising according to marketing agreements.

Rule 4.1.1
For FIVB, World and Official Competitions, in the senior category, the five staff members on the bench (including the coach) are decided by the coach him/herself, but must be listed on the score sheet. The Medical Doctor and Team Therapist, have to be part of the official delegation, but if not within the five selected, must sit against the delimitation fence, inside the Competition/ Control Area, and may only intervene if invited by the referees to deal with a medical emergency to the players.

The therapist may assist with the warm up until the official protocol.

Rule 6.1.3 (modification approved by the Board)
A completed rally is the sequence of playing actions which results in the award of a point. This includes the award of a PENALTY and loss of service for serving faults out-with the time limit.

Rule 8.3 (in conjunction with challenge system)
Ball “IN”
For the purposes of the Challenge system the ball is “in” if at any moment of its contact with the floor, some part of the ball touches the court, including the boundary lines.

Rule 11.3 (Volleyball and Beach Volleyball)
Contact with the net by a player between the antennae, during the action of playing the ball, is a fault.

Rule 15 (To insert a clause as follows)
For FIVB, World, and official competition, in the senior category, the FIVB may reduce, by one, the number of technical and/or coaches timeouts for specific events pursuant to sponsorship, marketing and broadcast agreements.

Updates to regulations
Rule 4.2.4 (modified)
During set intervals, players may warm up using balls within their own free zone. During the extended interval between sets two and three (if used) players may use their court as well, but only on their side of the net.

Rule 4.5.3 (new)
Compression aids may be worn for protection or support.

Rule 7.2.1 To add:
Prior to the match, if the teams have previously had a playing court exclusively at their disposal, they are entitled to a 6-minute official warm up period together at the net; if not, they may have 10 minutes.
For FIVB, World and Official events, teams will be entitled to a 10 minute warm up period together at the net in all cases.

7.7.1 (clarification)
A rotational fault...It leads to the following consequences in order:
Team is sanctioned with a point and service to the opponent;
The players’ rotational order must be rectified;
Additionally the scorer should determine the exact moment……all points scored subsequently by the team at fault must be cancelled.

Lausanne, Switzerland, April 22, 2013 – The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has announced a postponement to the implementation of the Overhand Reception Rule on Monday.

The FIVB Board of Administration decided to suspend the implementation of Rule 9.2.4 of the Rules of the Game pending further testing in official competitions, as the impact of the above-mentioned Rule has so far not been as successful as expected.

The Board made the decision during its meeting held at the FIVB headquarters in Lausanne in April after the FIVB Congress in September, 2012 had originally approved the change.

FIVB Board of Administration decision:

1. As the FIVB Board of Administration has the competence and obligation to deal with urgent and exceptional matters in the spirit of the Constitution and in the general interest of the FIVB, the implementation of Rule 9.2.4 of the Rules of the Game to be suspended pending further testing in official competitions, as the impact of the above-mentioned Rule has so far not been as successful as expected.

2. The Rules of the Game Commission to perform the required tests and compare them with the data already received, in order to determine if the new rule achieves the purpose for which it was created, reporting back to the FIVB Board of Administration.

A controversial rule imposed by the FIVB in September 2012 will no longer be used. The rule forbid the reception of the serve with both hands making a ring and touching the ball simultaneously with the fingers.

Many coaches critisized the new rule, Cuban Volleyball Federation president Eugenio George thinks it affected the quality of the game: "Volleyball is becoming faster, and limiting the options goes against the quality of the game."
Marcos Kwiek, Dominican Republic's coach thinks this is a good decision: "I think this is very good. The chance wouldn't be good for the game."

Regeltest i EuroleagueTo all participating teams of the 2013 CEV Volleyball European League

Dear Sirs,

Following the FIVB Board of Administration decision today, the 2013 CEV Volleyball European League was selected to test a new scoring system with the long-term goal to harmonize Volleyball and Beach Volleyball rules.

During the forthcoming European League season, each set will be played until 21 set points. Only 1 technical timeout per set (except for the tie-break) is foreseen by 12 points, everything else will remain the same.

Further information related to this scoring system (set until 21 points) will follow in the future through the 'Official Communications'.

Thank you for taking note of this pre-information until further notice by CEV.